Maryland to Ban Driving while Cellphone Texting Starting in October
By Greg Wright
Do you text on your cellphone while driving? Break the habit now.
It will be against the law to text and drive on Maryland roads starting October 1. Do it and you risk a fine of up to $500.
“Hopefully, we can get to the public to let them know it’s a dangerous activity,” said Maryland House Del. Frank Turner (D-Howard County), a chief sponsor of the legislation to ban texting while driving.
In fact, texting while driving will become a primary violation, said Denise Masimore, a public affairs officer for the Maryland State Police. That means a police officer who notices you are texting can pull you over immediately. You don’t have to be driving erratically or speeding first to get their attention.
However, the law has exceptions. It does not apply if you are texting 911 for emergency assistance or using a navigation device to plot your route, Masimore said.
The United States is undergoing a text message explosion. Americans sent more than 1 trillion text messages in 2008, or 3.5 billion messages a day, said Shannon Nix, spokeswoman for CTIA-the Wireless Association. That is almost triple the number of texts from 2007, she said.
But driving and cellphones can be a fatal mix. There were 483 collisions in Maryland in 2007 where cellphone use was a factor, Masimore said. According to Masimore, 184 people suffered injuries in these accidents and four died.
Maryland is now one of 14 states that bans texting while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Drivers in Maryland under age 18 with a learners permit or provisional license also cannot talk on a cellphone while driving.
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